Trial and Era
by Yhoretta
Summary: The Doctor and Sarah Jane visit a planet where the population can fly. It was meant to be a serene vacation until Sarah becomes a volunteer for an unstable experiment. History is being tampered with and there is a long road ahead. Beware the ever hungry tides of time. Beware the fate of Sarah Jane Smith
1. A much needed vacation

"There is no way you could mistake that for Earth," exclaimed Sarah Jane. Her foot tapped impatiently on the floor of the TARDIS.

On the other side of the white console room centered against a wall was a sleek monitor. It clearly showed the black stretch of space and a tiny blue planet spinning all on its lonesome.

"Look Sarah, I said I was sorry," pouted The Doctor while setting course for the _real _Earth.

"Oh sure, you were _really_ sorry when those blue aliens were making me their queen then preparing me for sacrifice ten minutes later!"

The Doctor tipped his hat over his face but Sarah could still see the cheshire-cat grin he was trying to hide. Admittedly she felt like smiling too. It had been pretty funny after all. Nearly being sacrificed wasn't at all funny. But being with The Doctor here and now, it didn't matter.

"So, where to now? Earth I should think," said Sarah Jane, answering her own question in a very Doctor-like fashion. The Timelord just lolled his head thoughtfully and leaned against the console. He looked up seriously at his companion, scrutinizing her face for a moment.

"We need a vacation Sarah," The Doctor concluded. This threw Sarah Jane off a little. He was always promising vacations...but they somehow never got around to it. She had simply assumed they would continue on their course to Earth so The Brigadier could catch up with them.

Sarah Jane leaned towards The Doctor so that they were both facing each other on either side of the controls.

"A real vacation?" she asked. "One with sunny vistas, relaxation, and monster-free beaches?"

"Oh Sarah your doubt injures me!" teased The Doctor. "Isn't that how it always works out?"

The human tugged absent-mindedly at her floral blue collar that was connected to a floral blue top that lead into grey trousers and black shoes. She was already debating what swimsuit to wear for their "vacation". It would have to be something that looked nice, but was also practical

for running away in.

"Sarah?" asked The Doctor. She realised that almost a minute had passed just staring blankly at her friend.

"Oh sorry, I was just thinking," replied Sarah Jane, flashing him a smile.

"Well that explains why it was taking so long," chuckled The Doctor.

He instinctively grabbed his arm to protect it from Sarah's wrath. Miss Smith quickly composed herself and decided to let him off just this once. After all it was well and truly time for a vacation. What could possibly go wrong?


	2. Still a learner

"I'm telling you Sarah, Valchanna Major is the place to go!" said The Doctor. He ran circles around the TARDIS controls, sending the ship hurtling through time and space.

"Weren't you talking about the Leisure hive a moment ago?" asked Sarah Jane. "Why don't we go there?"

"No. Well, Yes I was... But I think we should visit that some other time. I'd like to see Valchanna Major. There's no point in stopping off at Valchanna Minor, the place is a dump. However, Valchanna Major is beautiful! Rolling green hills, clean beautiful beaches and flying people!"

"Flying people?"

"Yes Sarah, People who fly. Flying people."

The Doctor slammed his hand down on a tiny green button. Over on the wall the screen flickered on. It showed a large, yellow planet with speckles of turquoise and blue scattered across its surface. A small, insignificant moon spun slowly around the sphere.

"Oh it's lovely," sighed Sarah Jane, absorbing the view.

"It will be lovelier when we're actually down there," replied The Doctor.

"Well I'm going to get changed. If I were you I'd leave the sca-" began Sarah.

"What was that you said about getting dressed? I couldn't hear you from halfway across the TARDIS," chuckled The Doctor, gently shoving his companion into the hall.

"Oooh!" grumbled Sarah Jane under her breath. She pulled a corner and kept walking furiously. "Sometimes that man really pushes my buttons."

A few minutes later they had landed and The Doctor was leaning against the TARDIS doors. To an outsider he would look like he was thinking. But in reality he really was just standing there, allowing his mind to go blank. Waiting.

Sarah Jane entered the console room. She dropped her towel unceremoniously and looked up expectantly at The Doctor. Her pale blue bikini matched her equally blue flip flops. A bottle of newly opened sunscreen was held askew in Miss Smith's hand and a large smile topped off the whole look.

"MMhmm?" mumbled The Doctor, glancing at his companion. "Yes you look very nice," he said quickly.

Sighing, Sarah Jane picked up her towel and waited at the door. She couldn't really complain though, it was the best she'd ever get out of him.

The Doctor jumped back to the controls and pulled a large red lever. Instantly the doors swung open to reveal a whole new world.

"Welcome to Valchanna Major Sarah," said The Doctor proudly.

He took the first step outside.

"Well, there _is _a beach..." teased Sarah Jane. A long stretch of sand covered the ground for miles, over to the west it eventually led to a large city and over to the south it began to fade into the ocean.

"I told you Sarah. Didn't I tell you? Valchanna Major! Absolutely lovely."

"Hey, I'm the one who said it was lovely." Sarah Jane closed the doors behind her and began walking towards the waves.

"I suppose I must give you credit for _that,_" conceded The Doctor. He caught up to Sarah Jane with ease and soon they were walking along the beach together.

"Would you like me to take your towel?" asked The Timelord. Sarah nodded.

The duo took refuge on the rough fabric while the alien sun beat gently on their skin.

Suddenly a young man skidded to a halt in front of Sarah Jane, blocking her view and kicking sand in her face.

"Oi, watch it!" she cried, much to the Doctor's amusement.

"I'm so sorry miss! I'm still a learner," the teenager explained. He motioned to a yellow sticker on his back.

"I'll see you two around then!" And with that the boy took off. Literally. He soared into the air on invisible wings and began doing loop-de-loops before flying towards the far off city.

"You weren't kidding when you said 'flying people,' " chortled Sarah Jane.

"Mmhm," replied The Doctor.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not quite sure...But I'd very much like to check out Valchanna Central. Something's going on in there. I can feel it."

"Great, there goes our vacation," sighed Sarah Jane. The Doctor jumped to his feet and pulled up Miss Smith.

"Leave the towel Sarah," ordered The Timelord. "We need to go. Now."


	3. Professor Hayka

Sarah Jane shivered. It was a nice, warm day so she wasn't very cold...despite the bikini. The Doctor gripped her hand harder as the tiny human shook against his large frame. They had finally stopped running after a few minutes so he took this time to look down at his companion.

"Are you alright Sarah?" he asked.

"Yes, quite. I just feel... a bit weird," she replied.

The Doctor shrugged off his jacket and placed it around Sarah Jane who kept walking nonchalantly.

"Are you sure you're alright?" repeated The Timelord.

"Doctor, you don't have to worry about me! Let's just get to the town," grumbled Sarah jane.

"I'm sorry we had to rush. But something's going on in there. After it's sorted we can go back to the beach. I promise."

Sarah perked up a little and slipped her arms through The Doctor's large jacket.

Suddenly she smirked.

"We're almost there. Race you!"

Sarah Jane sprinted towards the awaiting city, surprisingly quick for someone under the weight of the Doctor's coat and whatever the hell was in his infinite pockets.

She looked back to see The Timelord catching up. Fast. He smiled like a child as he passed her and pulled to a halt outside Valchanna Central.

"Come on Sarah!"

Miss Smith stopped beside him and linked her arm through his.

"This way?" she asked.

The duo walked calmly through the large city. Strange purple buildings stretched to the sky and around the top of each one was a balcony, almost like a landing pad. It was all so different from Earth, there were no cars to create a disgusting atmosphere and no people to clutter the streets. Instead everyone was flying to their destinations. Only the occasional land-bound humanoid was seen until...

"This is it," announced The Doctor heading straight for a distinct mauve building. What made it stand out was the small crowd of people entering through the _door_ on the _ground_.

"Well then Mr. Smith, shall we enter?" cooed Sarah Jane.

"I think we shall Miss Smith," replied The Doctor, grinning. They shoved their way through the people, working as a team to make it to the front, even standing on a few feet.

"Ahem," someone said.

Sarah Jane looked up to be greeted by a disapproving Valchannian with a clipboard.

"Oh sorry, I -" she began.

"Hello I'm The Doctor and this is Sarah Jane," interrupted her friend. "We've come to...err." His eyes searched rapidly for an excuse. He glanced down at the clipboard and read the heading.

"We've come to watch the demonstration by Professor Hayka."

The Valchannian clucked his tongue in annoyance but scribbled their names down anyway.

"Please enter through the back. There aren't many spaces left," He droned.

Sarah Jane wrapped herself tighter in The Doctor's coat. Her shivers had come back. Worse this time. She followed him around to the other side of the building where a small black door labeled 'Entrance for groundies' was the only indication that they were in the right place.

"You know, I _do _think he doesn't like us," said The Doctor.

Sarah nodded, not really paying attention.

"I mean, it isn't as though we need to pay. It seems that we can just go in but I don't particularly..."

The Timelord trailed off as they entered the building. A large pentagon-shaped room greeted them. Rows of chairs surrounded a red stage placed directly in the middle. In every chair sat an irritated Valchannian, waiting for the demonstration to start.

"Look Sarah, two seats in the front. Come on then," chirped The Doctor. He dragged Sarah Jane forward and plopped her down beside him.

A little "Oomph!" escaped Sarah Jane's mouth.

"Thank you for waiting ladies, gentleman and undecided. We are sorry for the delay, there have just been a few...technical difficulties. Nothing to be concerned about," boomed a voice over the intercom. It shook the room with its volume and did nothing to help Sarah's mood.

"May I now present to you, Professor .U. Hayka!"

The crowd erupted into a chorus of violent sneezing. Everybody had their handkerchiefs ready and was blowing their noses in time to the steps of the professor.

"What are they doing?" hissed Sarah Jane.

"It's their equivalent of clapping Sarah, Now don't be rude," whispered The Doctor, emphasizing his point with a heart stopping _**ACHOOOOOO!**_

"Thank you all for coming here, I'm so grateful that you've all come to see the unveiling of my time machine!" said Professor Hayka proudly. She scanned the audience and locked eyes with Sarah Jane.

"You there! Yes _you_. The one that is dressed inappropriately. Come up here."

The Doctor leant over and whispered in Sarah Jane's ear: "don't worry Sarah, the Valchannians won't invent time travel for millions of years. And even then it won't work."

The small human stood up ruefully and shuffled onstage, still wearing The Doctor's jacket.

"So my dear. What brings you to the V-C1775 research facility?" asked Professor Hayka. The harsh stage lights bounced off her silver hair and seemed to emphasise the lines on her round but vigilant face.

"We were on vacation," said Sarah Jane. She threw her gaze longingly at The Doctor who gave a thumbs up and a smile, completely oblivious to how bad she felt.

"That's nice. But now you're doing something much more important aren't you?" beamed Professor Hayka. "Now please step into this chamber behind you."

Sarah Jane spun around. At the back of the stage was reminiscent of a glass shower. It towered high over the audience and earned a few Ooohs and Aaahs. She warily slid inside the unusual thing and kept her eyes glued on The Doctor's ice blue orbs. He was saying something.

"What is it Doctor?" asked Sarah Jane. Professor Hayka signalled to an unseen controller who closed the chamber door.

"Hey, let me out! I don't want to do this," cried Sarah Jane. The Doctor stood up in his seat, he was yelling now but the glass was completely sound-proof.

Sarah focused only on his mouth. Reading.

_I know why I sensed something wrong. This is a key point in history. GET OUT NOW!_

But Hayka had already started the machine. It groaned and shook, the glass fogging up.

"Doctor help!" whispered Sarah Jane.

The Timelord jumped on stage and began pounding on the glass. He slumped to his knees.

Sarah was gone.


	4. A real time machine

"No, Sarah come back," hissed The Doctor to the empty air. Professor Hayka and a thousand other pairs of eyes were glued on him intently, waiting for his next move. No one seemed to mind that he was disturbing the demonstration. In fact, they thought he had made it much more entertaining.

"Bring her back to me," growled The Timelord. He stood up slowly and traced ancient symbols on the glass chamber, the Gallifreyan words for grief and despair.

"I'm afraid she has gone. None of our subjects ever return," snarled Hayka.

"Then why didn't you tell us that before?" whispered The Doctor, his voice dangerously low.

"She is not important. Everyone here came today knowing they could have been chosen. It was simply coincidence that I chose-" Professor Hayka gulped as the full fury of a Timelord was focused on her.

"Send me in," he snapped.

Hayka shook her head but something lurked behind those harsh, old eyes. It was the tiniest hint of guilt and it was already eating her alive.

"I...I can't. If you were to go through it would short circuit the machine, we need to wait several days before sending someone back. Sadly, we cannot bring your friend forward. This was our first live test so it was really her own fault for volunteering if she wasn't prepared for the consequences."

The audience sat in complete silence, watching the show, eating it up. No one cared for the fate of Sarah Jane Smith. Just her Doctor.

"I should have known," he sighed "I sensed something about this place but it was actually the fixed point in history that centered around _Sarah_. That's why she shivered. Her body was rejecting the timelines but this would have always happened no matter what. I remember how it goes. This was huge, sending someone back in time. 'Changing modern science as we know it' Well congratulations Hayka, You did it. And now your machine will never work again. Your planet will never progress any further no matter what you do. This is the end of the line. I've seen into your future, the future of this galaxy and I know that your science is not advanced enough or renewable enough to continue. And the sad thing is, you took Sarah down with you."

The Doctor jumped off the stage and pushed his way through the angry crowd.

_**What did he say?**_

_**He knows our future?**_

_**I bet he's a right nutter**_

_**How did he know that our scientists have been struggling?**_

_**I was told this experiment was supposed to let us get resources from the past. Now what?**_

The furious whispers shook him to the core. Sarah Jane would have just kept walking, so he did too. Normally The Doctor would never reveal so much about the future to anyone, but this time he didn't care. He'd wanted to give Sarah a proper vacation, so what if this planet was slowly dying? All planets died in the end. And yet, it was still so beautiful. Why couldn't they at least enjoy it...

"Doctor! Please, can you hear me? Doctor I'm scared, please answer me!"

The Timelord jumped to his feet. He'd been mourning in the TARDIS for just under an hour when the voice broke his haze. Being unable to track her, there'd been nothing else to do.

"Sarah, is that you?"

"Oh thank god. Please come and get me, I don't know where I am."

The Doctor tugged at his scarf thoughtfully.

"How are you communicating with me Sarah?" he asked.

"I found a green machine...thing... in your coat pocket, I figured it out pretty quick," she replied, her voice echoing around the TARDIS.

"Good girl Sarah. Now, just sit tight. I'm coming to get you. Don't be afraid, but wherever you are, you must try and survive. You know how _tricky _the TARDIS is-"

"I would have said...Unreliable," teased Sarah Jane.

"Yes, yes alright. But either way, I cannot tell how long it will take to locate you and get to the exact same moment in time. Keep my coat with you so I can track the communicator. Stay safe, Stay alive." And with that The Doctor switched off her intercom so that he could focus on flying. Getting this wrong would not be good at all.

"Scarf Man! What are you doing in there?" growled another voice. Professor Hayka knocked angrily on the TARDIS doors. She stood back abruptly as a strange wheezing sound came from the police box. It slowly began to vanish, seeping into the void.

"Oh my!" exclaimed Hayka, flying back to her facility.

"And that," chuckled The Doctor, "is a _real_ time machine."


	5. The Dark Figure

_Stay Safe. Stay Alive_

Sarah Jane shivered in the biting wind, feeling genuinely cold for the first time that day.

_Stay Safe. Stay Alive_

The Doctor's words rung harshly in her ears. A constant reminder. She stood up, still clutching the TARDIS communicator and began walking across the rocky stretch.

_Stay Safe. Stay Alive_

Sarah gripped her head and shook it. The voice faded away to nothing. It was almost lonely without it but a lot easier to focus on her surroundings. As far as the eye could see was rock. The floor, the mountains...all purple stone. The uneven surface was torture on Sarah Jane's bare feet but she continued on, looking, scanning, searching desperately for shelter as the unforgiving night crept ever closer.

"Wh-what possible use could th-this place have? Why c-come here?" said Sarah through chattering teeth. She sat down and curled up tighter in The Doctor's jacket, instantly warming up a little more.

"I wonder what e-else he's g-got in here," whispered Sarah Jane, scrambling through his pockets. She found a banana, a yoyo, various little machines that seemed to do absolutely nothing, a box of matches, a half eaten apple and a picture...of her and The Doctor. It was well-worn as if it were taken out frequently to be admired then stuffed back in. Sarah clutched it to her chest then slipped it into the pocket.

"I need to find sh-sh-shelter," she sighed. Then a sudden thought hit her.

"Oh, I'm talking to m-myself. Better find a _th-therapist _while I'm at it."

A sudden gust of wind shook the terrain, little bits of mauve rock flying into the air. The colour was strikingly familiar.

"This must be wh-where the facility is...or will b-be," concluded Sarah Jane. "I haven't moved at all, I've just gone back in the same place. But how f-far back?"

"How far back indeed," someone cooed. Sarah jumped back as a strange figure cloaked in inky black silk appeared in front of her.

"This is the beginning my pet. When Valchanna Major was uninhabited by humanoids. Just the animals, the rocks and...me," said the figure. It reached out a sickly, boney arm and stroked Sarah's hair before she backed away further.

"I know why you're here. I know how you came. I know everything about you. Much like your friend I have power over time, although mine is somewhat restricted to this planet. However, I do not take kindly to humanoids coming before their era. Now run, I am hungry and I enjoy a bit of sport before a meal."

Sarah Jane sprinted back the way she'd come. Faster and faster. As quick as her bare feet could take her. Eventually she came to a small cave on the bottom of one of the mountains and slipped inside.

"Do you think you are safe here? Pathetic," growled the dark phantom-like figure.

Pulling The Doctor's coat over her ears Sarah curled up on the cold, rocky floor. She closed her eyes in an effort to fall asleep.

"Goodnight Miss Smith. I'll see you in the morning," continued the figure, malice dripping off every word. It seemed to crawl inside Sarah Jane's mind. Peeking into her memories.

"I certainly hope I mustn't lay eyes on you again," hissed Sarah.

"Oh, you will," whispered the phantom. "That is...If you ever wake up."


	6. The opposite of victory

_**Wake up Sarah Jane**_

Her eyes flickered open to the harsh light of day. The cave she had taken refuge in offered little shelter but had been sufficient.

"Where are you?" asked Sarah. She scanned the bright, purple-tinted cavern but there was no sign of the dark figure who had haunted her last night. Shuffling onto her knees, Sarah Jane shrugged off The Doctor's coat and rummaged through the pockets again. Her fingers brushed over the slightly bruised banana gratefully.

_**Did you miss me Sarah Jane Smith?**_

She jerked back. No one was there.

"Come out!" barked the human, acting a lot braver than she really was.

_**There's no need to be so courageous. He isn't here. You don't have to pretend.**_

"Leave me alone! I'm waiting for him to come. He will come."

_**Will he?**_

Sarah Jane stood abruptly, threatening the air with a half-eaten banana. The dark figure, cloaked in his black robes appeared again. Any sign of a face was hidden from sight, but skeletal arms connected to skeletal hands gave a clear image of what the cloak protected. As he turned his head the arms reached out towards Sarah. The skin was greenish-grey and seemed to be peeling in areas but there was no blood of any kind. Miss Smith picked up The Doctor's coat and backed into the cave wall.

"Stay there!" cried Sarah Jane, holding up a slightly _more_ eaten banana.

"Why should I?" cooed the phantom. The feminist Sarah and the frightened-to-death Sarah began a battle royale in her head. She struggled against the conflicting feelings as the figure glided closer. Suddenly Sarah Jane took the last bite of the yellow fruit and hurled it at the phantom. He recoiled with a cat-like hiss and peeled the sticky thing off his face.

"Sarah Jane Smith?"

She had slipped away.

Sarah sprinted across the rocky terrain, The Doctor's jacket trailing after her. She skidded to a halt as The phantom figure spiraled out of thin air.

"Foolish _girl,_" he chuckled. The laugh was unlike anything. When The Doctor laughed it was gentle and warm, it felt human even though he wasn't. When this creature laughed it could only be compared to nails on a chalkboard or the clattering of silverware.

"Take me to The Doctor or get outta my way," challenged Sarah Jane. She squared her shoulders and somehow managed to look threatening in a _bikini_ with an oversized coat in her arms. The figure would have snarled if his face could be seen.

"You don't _dare_ to pit yourself against me! I allowed you to live so that I could have sport. It is lonely in this era. I cannot travel forward myself...So, if you take me with you I can send you back to your own time," proposed the phantom.

"Not that I would, but how do you know that you can only go forward with me?" asked Sarah.

"Because while you were asleep I sent a man to the future just by touching him. If I do the same with you and hold on then I should be able to accompany you."

"Wait, The Doctor was here?!"

"Precisely, but not anymore and don't even think about searching for that TARDIS of his. Now, do we have a deal or not?"

Sarah Jane suppressed a tear. Her best friend had come to find her, only to be sent straight to the beginning without the means to come back. She bit her lip and glared at the dark space that the phantom's eyes would be in if they were even there.

"Take me to the TARDIS or you never see the end of this timezone. I know you don't live 'til the present when we came so you're obviously desperate to escape. What happens if I kill myself? You'll never get anywhere then will you?"

The figure clapped its hands reluctantly.

Suddenly they were inside the TARDIS. Sarah Jane clutched the console gratefully and slid to the floor. She leaned in and whispered to the machine.

_Help me_

The phantom growled and bent over Sarah.

"My turn," he said, stretching his grotesque arm, reaching for Miss Smith. She rolled as the ship lurched the same way, hurtling through the vortex with her two passengers. The figure lost balance and crashed to the floor where Sarah Jane was already waiting. She lunged at him and delivered a hefty punch to his cloaked gut, earning a satisfactory _**Ooof!**_

"You have no powers here phantom. I want you to leave. To float in the void for all eternity," ordered Sarah, running off adrenaline to stop herself collapsing from shock. The TARDIS rolled the opposite way, tossing her passengers towards the doors which flung open.

Sarah Jane clasped the console with one hand, The Doctor's coat with her other.

"Don't let me die!" cried The phantom. He grasped Sarah's leg, not disappearing as he would have on Valchanna Major. Miss Smith looked down at the pathetic figure. She almost pitied him, but that was more than he deserved.

"You won't die," yelled Sarah Jane as the TARDIS alarms began to blare loudly. "You will exist forever in the no-space, the place in between all of the universe. You wanted a different timezone. Now you have them all."

She threw the dark figure off and he fell into the vortex, still reaching for her.

The TARDIS doors slammed shut. Sarah curled up on top of The Doctor's coat and she cried. Even though the horrible creature had terrorized her dreams and taken her best friend it was still unbearable to think about. The opposite of victory.

"I...I know I've asked a lot already, but can you please take me to The Doctor?" whispered Sarah Jane.

...

…

…

Silence.


	7. A shed on the beach

The TARDIS moaned slightly, she never usually did favors for anyone, let alone a simple human. After all, her Doctor had traveled with many before. Why did this one think she was so special? But then she paused, whirring a little and reaching into Sarah Jane's mind.

The girl was scared and lonely. Shaken and curious. So many emotions flickered through her brain, just as they had when she had decided to run rather than let the dark figure get to her. Bravery was something the TARDIS could admire, something she had always seen in her Doctor. In that way, the human was very much like him...and it was that which finally convinced the ancient ship to help. The scanner flickered on, showing the infinite vortex, signalling to her passenger.

"Oh thank you!" sobbed Sarah Jane "Thank you." She pulled herself up and wiped her tears fiercely. There was no way Sarah would let The Doctor see her cry. Miss Smith rubbed her face against the coat she had been carrying for so long and slipped into the hallway, sprinting to her bedroom and colliding with the closet.

"Ouch." She chuckled, it was such a Doctor-like thing to do that it almost allowed for a little normality. Sarah Jane shed the bikini at last and put on a comfortable, brown dress with a thin white jacket over the top. Satisfied with her reflection in the mirror, Sarah bounded off for the console room with the Doctor's coat over one arm and soft grey sneakers on her feet.

"Are we there yet?"

The TARDIS shuddered and made no other sounds for a long time, it nearly drove Sarah Jane mad. Suddenly there was a pounding on her doors. Impatient, heavy fists making contact with the wood.

"Sarah! Are you in there? Sarah!" yelled The Doctor.

"Yes, Here I am," replied Miss Smith, pulling the door lever. The Timelord threw himself at her, crushing the small human in a grateful hug. His eyes were apologetic and his mouth kept opening and shutting as if he were trying desperately to say something, but couldn't.

"It's alright, I'm sorry too," gasped Sarah Jane as she was finally released. They both stepped out and to the surprise of Sarah, they were back on the research facility's stage. Only now, the seats were empty, the lights were off and the room felt abandoned.

"How did you know to find me here?" asked Sarah Jane. The Doctor scratched his chin absentmindedly and nodded his head to the now dust-covered glass chamber.

"I didn't know Sarah. When that creature touched me as I tried to find you...I just...appeared here. I decided not to move in case you came back, nothing else I _could_ do really. I even tried to go back in that piece of junk, but it seems Professor Hayka has decommissioned it. Nothing I did would start it up, not that it should ever be used again..."

"Where is she? Professor Hayka I mean."

"That's the thing Sarah, we seem to be a couple of weeks in the future of when we first arrived. All I could find out was that Hayka quit somewhere during that time."

"Maybe we should find her. Who's to say that creature was the only one of its kind?"

The Doctor wrapped his arm around Sarah Jane as if to comfort her. She began to nuzzle into his elbow but he simply lifted his coat from her grip and pulled away to slip it on. He strode purposefully out the "groundies entrance" door, motioning for Sarah to follow, which she did... but not before mumbling a few choice words behind his back.

"Excuse me! Could you please direct me to Professor Hayka?!" bellowed The Doctor, targeting some poor woman and her son. They flew away, completely ignoring him.

"You there, have you seen-" he tried again, this time to a grounded Valchannian. The alien kept walking.

"Why is everyone on this planet so insistent on being difficult!" complained The Doctor.

"Because they're taking a leaf out of your book," teased Sarah Jane "Now just be quiet and let me handle this alright?"

The Timelord crossed his arms and mumbled incoherently but allowed her to take over.

"Hello, my name is Sarah Jane Smith," chirped Sarah to a passing man. He stopped and returned her smile.

"I was just wondering if you know where Professor Hayka may be?" she continued. The man pointed west between two equally purple buildings.

"'Course I do, she's our best scientist! Everyone knows that she quit after dismantling 'er time machine and left for the beach. 'pparently she lost 'er marbles and bought a shed to continue 'er own 'personal' work," he directed.

"Thank you very much," praised Sarah Jane "Come along Doctor!"

They sat on the on the sand outside what was perhaps the only shed-like structure amongst the towering pillars of Valchanna Major. It was greyish-purple with one, small door and a sign on the knob that declared; **DO NOT ENTER.**

Sarah Jane dug her toes in the warm crystals and leaned against The Doctor. Neither wanted to burst in because at last they were enjoying each other's company at the beach as planned. Sarah didn't even notice how hungry she was, only when The Doctor offered her an apple did she snatch it greedily from his hand. For once they weren't rushing into anything, just procrastinating for as long as possible. Finally The Doctor dragged himself up and knocked on the door.

"READ THE SIGN, GO AWAY," screamed Hayka from inside. Sarah Jane jumped to her feet abruptly and whispered through the crack.

"Professor Hayka, it's me. Your volunteer from a few weeks ago."

"GO AWAY," came the reply.

The Doctor met Sarah's eyes. She nodded and took his hand for support. Together they forced open the door and were met with shocking darkness. When their eyes had adjusted the sight they saw made them both recoil, Sarah visibly more so than The Doctor.

"Now you've done it," growled Professor Hayka, her eyes were black orbs that seemed far too big for her head, not helped by her limp, unwashed hair and dirty lab coat. The pristine scientist who had ruined their vacation was reduced to a shaking, messy, undead...thing.

"What_ happened _to you?" cried Sarah.

"Die Sarah Jane Smith. You did this. It is all your fault!" hissed Professor Hayka, her fingers closing around something silver that glinted in the shadows.

She pressed the knife's point to Sarah's chest, daring her to run.


	8. I promise

"Stay perfectly still," whispered The Doctor.

"Thank you for that oh so _useful_ advice," gulped Sarah Jane sarcastically. She shivered as the cold tip of the knife threatened to pierce her skin.

"You killed my agent," accused Professor Hayka, her voice no longer what it had been. No longer her's. The demented woman gently traced the knife around Sarah's frantic heart without drawing blood. Even the slightest movement would have been fatal. In the shadows you could clearly see the pale silver caressing her chest, delicately enjoying the proximity without breaking the skin

Yet.

"Who are you?" asked The Doctor, gripping Sarah Jane's hand.

"Professor Hayka of course," replied the cruel woman. Her black orb-like eyes blinked rapidly, flickering from The Timelord to Sarah then back again.

"No...you're not," stated The Doctor "Can I please speak with the entity that's taken over this Valchannian?"

Hayka cocked her head so that her right ear and shoulder were connected. She bared her teeth in a low hiss and straightened her neck.

"I'm guessing that's a yes?" clarified The Doctor. Professor Hayka swung the hand which so tightly gripped the knife, barely missing Sarah Jane. The human ducked as Hayka jerked back into the shadows, her body heaving and convulsing grotesquely.

"Are you alright?" fussed The Doctor, patting Sarah's shoulders.

"I'm fine, she only slightly cut me," replied Sarah Jane. She straightened to show a minute tear in the fabric of her dress, a small stain of scarlet blood spoilt the colour but it wasn't getting any larger.

"It happened before she swung back. There's nothing to worry about re-" Sarah froze as a dark figure stepped out from the shadows. It was so alike the phantom except there were no robes, just ebony coloured skin and no distinguishing facial features. The skin was peeling in several places, but still, not a drop of blood.

"You...you said I killed your agent," inquired Sarah Jane. The creature observed her for a moment before speaking in a voice that was neither male nor female, but both.

"Dead. Thrown in the vortex. What's the difference?"

"You controlled that horrible thing in the cloak..." said Sarah. The dark figure nodded solemnly. It seemed to regard The Doctor slightly more, not entirely focusing on Sarah Jane.

"Is she dead?" asked The Timelord, motioning to the crumpled body of Professor Hayka.

"Yes. She always has been in a matter in speaking. Hayka died the moment I stepped inside her so many years ago. I've kept her animated for decades longer than she should have survived. She's always fought me. I force her to build the time machine so that my agent could come forth, unfortunately as you know it wasn't operational to the standards I needed. When your associate disconnected my agent from me I finally took over that weak body, she was about to give in until you came, then I finally won our battle."

"What was the purpose of your agent? What is the purpose of you?"

The creature snarled.

"Enough questions _Doctor_. I need a body. Now."

"Don't you dare," growled The Doctor, stepping away.

"It matters not to me," it purred. "You are not compatible anyway. But your _friend_ however..."

"RUN SARAH JANE!"

Sarah stumbled backwards and sprinted through the door, out onto the uneven sand. She pushed ahead, ignoring the twinge in her ankle as another pothole caught her.

"_What a shame, he gave you false hope even though we all know you cannot run from me,_"

whispered the dark creature. It stepped into Sarah Jane, taking away everything pure, everything human. Everything. Her eyes turned black. Sarah was gone again.

"NO! Not her! Please," cried The Doctor, skidding in the sand and gripping her shoulders. Sarah Jane stared blankly at her friend. Suddenly the familiar face twisted into something so malevolent and evil that it had no right to be there. It ruined the perfect image of who she had been. It was all lost.

"Sarah, fight it," moaned The Doctor, shaking her.

"It's too late. She has long gone Timelord," growled Sarah Jane "But you may still gaze upon this face that you care so much for." She stepped closer and ran her fingers through his dark curls seductively. The Doctor pushed her off.

"Get away from me," he ordered.

"Awh come on," smirked the horrible ghost of Sarah Jane. "I..."

The girl straightened abruptly, her face flickered through a huge range of emotions within the course of a second before finally settling on fear. It looked so familiar.

"Doctor," she hissed as if every syllable was causing her excruciating pain

"Future...agent...destroy...it will...kill...present...one...help...HELP.." Sarah Jane let off a blood-curdling scream that managed to grab the attention of a small family in the air.

"Thank you Sarah. Keep fighting it, I'll come back for you," exclaimed The Doctor. He raced to The TARDIS (on the opposite side of the beach) with the possessed Sarah Jane 3 steps behind him.

"Stay strong."

Sarah Jane screamed again as The Doctor slipped into the TARDIS and locked her out. He threw the ship into the future, hurtling through the infinite void.

"Don't worry Sarah. I will save you," said The Doctor to himself. He imagined that behind the dark creature's influence she could really hear him, even though they were so far apart.

"I promise."


	9. Rebirth

"She said it was in the future," muttered The Doctor, steering his beloved ship manically through the vortex. "So, take the date I met the past agent on which by my calculations was July 4th 239,998 then we multiply that by two to get the position in time of the next one. That's the year 479,996!"

He typed in the numbers and slammed his hand on a button. The TARDIS shook angrily but spun ahead on command.

The Doctor stepped out of his ship wearing an orange space-suit. All of his scans had detected little to no oxygen and a very thin atmosphere. Strangely enough, Valchanna Major still looked relatively the same...At least, the beach did. But then he turned his head to the ocean. It wasn't there. The rolling waves that had seen him off had been leeched dry, leaving a muddy stretch, completely void of life. On the horizon was the city. He ran to it in desperation.

"What have you done to this planet?!" yelled The Doctor to the now orange sky. It looked as though someone had taken a blowtorch to a patch of oil and just let it burn.

"It is not what _I've_ done," purred a voice. "But what my _master_ has done." The Doctor spun on his heels to see the cloaked figure that seemed so eerily similar to the one he'd met while trying to find Sarah Jane.

"I remember, in the present day, hearing some members of Hayka's crowd talking about needing resources from the past and yet the past is bare. That's your purpose is it not? To suck the planet dry and feed your master who in turn is killing the planet just by being here."

"Correct Timelord."

"Then why does he need Sarah?"

"I am not aware of whom you speak, but my master requires a host body for long periods of time so that he may concentrate on the task of devouring. Now, go back to your own time or must I force you?"

The agent reached out it's repulsive arm, attempting to touch The Doctor's skin. It recoiled as it instead tore the fabric of the spacesuit.

"What is this?! Why can I not send you back?!"

The Doctor gasped for air, storing enough in his respiratory bypass system to last for 6 minutes. He was forced to shed the suit as it slowly but surely fell to pieces from the dark figure's touch.

"Now you're mine!" spat the creature. The Doctor ducked as it slashed the air and growled viciously at him. Knowing it was futile but attempting it anyway The Doctor sprinted back to the TARDIS.

"Why do you run Timelord? This planet is as good as dead! What is the point of trying to save it?" cackled the agent from inside his head.

"I'm not trying to save it," said The Doctor honestly. "I'm trying to save her."

He rattled the TARDIS doors but they held shut. Again. Again. Again. Never opening.

"Don't bother. I was just told by my master what you did to the other. That's not going to happen with me I'm afraid!"

The Doctor banged his head against the familiar wood, his air supply was running dangerously low. Suddenly he stopped and turned to come face-to-face (or whatever it had behind that cloth) with the creature. It reached out to touch him, but he was prepared. The dark agent's fingers brushed the back of his neck and he gripped hold of the hand, also touching the TARDIS doors with his other.

"NO! What are you doing?" it hissed.

_**Flash. Bang, Silence.**_

They were on top of a building. Towering high above Valchanna central. It was unlike it had been in the future, deserted, broken, dead. This was the present once more. The creature shook unevenly on the rickety landing pad. It was only large enough for four people but with the TARDIS taking up most of the room the creature was forced to stand dangerously close to the edge.

"Let go of me!" it demanded, but The Doctor only clutched it's disgusting flesh tighter.

"It seems that you cannot send me away again until I've released you, is that it?" asked The Timelord between gulps of air.

"Correct, but that doesn't mean I am powerless," declared the creature, weakly attempting to throw off the furious man's grip. It shuddered slightly and Sarah Jane appeared before them, adding to the crowdedness of the space.

"Sarah!" cried The Doctor, almost letting go. She turned to him. Her eyes were still black orbs. Sarah Jane was still hidden away from him. Using her lips the master of the dark agents smiled, she shuddered slightly and The Doctor felt his hand slip to his side, freeing the cloaked one.

"Now do you see why you should not contend with such powers Timelord? You are out of your league. You've caused me quite a lot of trouble...still, you have made excellent sport, but now it is time to feed!" purred Sarah Jane. She touched The Doctor's cheek. At the exact same second he reached out his leg, connecting with her stomach and sending her flying off the edge.

"Let her go!" exclaimed The Doctor. Sarah clung desperately to the side-rail.

"NEVER" she yelled. Her hands loosened.

"Master, don't!" bellowed The agent. Its master shook 'his' head through Sarah Jane and released himself, plummeting to the ground.

"I'm coming with you Master!" cried the dark figure, it jumped off the side, landing right beside the crumpled body of Sarah.

Her twisted form stood again, bruised and broken. She screamed as the darkness left her body and the world around them burned. Days, weeks, months, years all flew by. Time was being rewritten. The Dark leech had been destroyed along with it's agents of terror. Valchanna Major glowed brighter than a thousand supernovas, killing everything and bringing it back to life at the same time.

The planet was reborn.

"Hey, I'm the one who said it was lovely!" said Sarah Jane, closing the TARDIS doors behind her. She shivered slightly.

"What is it Sarah?" asked The Doctor, taking her hand.

"I've just had the oddest sense of deja vu."

She leaned into The Doctor's embrace and felt the beating of his hearts against her ears. Sarah Jane heard them skip a beat because he too felt like something was off, like he had forgotten...

"Come along Sarah, let's take a look at the city before we relax on the beach," whispered The Timelord, pulling her along with him. They passed a small shed. It was greyish-purple with one, small door and a sign on the knob that declared; **DO NOT ENTER, FUTURE SIGHT OF THE Ursula Hayka CHARITY CENTRE.**

Sarah Jane crouched insistently on the damp, green grass that bordered the beach. She patted the earth beside her and made way as The Doctor sat down beside her.

"I'm telling you Sarah, after we spend some time on the beach as you want and go to the city we can take a look at some of Valchanna Major's famous forests and jungles. The whole planet is teeming with life, I can't wait to explore."

Miss Smith smiled at him, looking out onto the horizon. She gripped his hand and closed her eyes, listening to the sound of the waves.

"You know, they say Valchanna Major wasn't always like this," rambled The Doctor. "Occasionally there are people who say they remember a time before the vitality and beauty of the planet. A time where the ground was rock and so were the buildings. In fact, one man said that he met a young woman called Sarah Jane who saved them all by plummeting to her death. Any relation do you think?"

"Not at all," replied Sarah, grinning cheekily at her friend.

"Besides, if that were me...don't you think I'd remember?"


End file.
